Oops
by Thylacina2005
Summary: Grimmjow makes the mistake of distracting Amaya while she's practising a spell and is turned into a panther cub as a result. The problem? Amaya doesn't know how to change him back! Hilarity ensues. Written for writer's block. Rated for language. Pairings: OC/Uryuu, Ichi/Hime, Ren/Ruki
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Grimmjow makes the mistake of distracting Amaya while she's practising a spell and is turned into a panther cub as a result. The problem? Amaya doesn't know how to change him back! Hilarity ensues. Written for writer's block. Rated for language.

Pairings: OC/Uryuu, Ichi/Hime, Ren/Ruki

~Thinking~

"Talking"

**Oops**

Amaya's eyes narrowed as she read over the words on the aged parchment. She'd found her grandmother's old spell books and hadn't been able to resist reading them, even though her grandmother had told her specifically not to touch them. Amaya was only an apprentice Mage and as yet did not have the skill required to control the power that was involved in using these advanced spells.

"I can't believe Grandma doesn't trust me with these," Amaya muttered angrily as she turned a page. "I'm stronger than she was when she was my age. Most of these are boring, anyway!"

She looked up as the doorbell rang and put the dusty old book down to answer it. Instantly recognising the orange blur behind the frosted glass she squealed happily and hurried to open the door.

"Hi Amaya, good morning!" Orihime beamed.

"Hey Orihime, I've been waiting for you!" Amaya grinned, nearly dragging her guest inside. "Where's Rukia? I thought she was coming, too?"

"Rukia said she'd be along in a little while," Orihime explained as she took her shoes off. "Mmm, something smells really good!"

"Yeah, I just got my muffins outta the oven," said Amaya proudly. "Grandma's own recipe!"

"Oooh, I can't wait!"

The two girls chatted away as Amaya led the redhead through the front foyer and into the spacious living room where the dusty old spell books were spread over the coffee table.

"Oh jeeze, I should've put those away before you got here," Amaya said apologetically as she smacked her forehead.

"What are they? They look so ancient," Orihime asked.

"They're my Grandmother's old spell books," Amaya explained as she began closing and stacking the books. "I uh, borrowed them before she left for Scotland."

Orihime was immediately intrigued. "Wow, can I see?"

Amaya hesitated for a moment before she answered. It was against the rules to show spells to anyone who wasn't a Mage or otherwise spiritually gifted lest the secret that magic existed accidentally got out. But then again, Amaya thought, Orihime's pretty good at keeping secrets. She kept the fact that Ichigo was a Soul Reaper a secret, after all.

"Sure, I can't see why not," Amaya shrugged as she sat down on the couch next to her friend. "We can flip through them while we wait for Rukia."

"Great! Thanks!" Orihime said as she picked up the nearest book. The title was so worn with age that she couldn't read it properly. "Wow, so this is what spells look like..."

"Well, these are more like instructions on how to use the spell," Amaya explained. "It's not all just chanting nonsense words and waving your hands all over the place. You need to be able to control the flow of power required and focus it in order for it work. That takes a lot of concentration and skill."

"Really? Can you show me?" Orihime asked eagerly. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Amaya smirked, suddenly feeling a bit naughty and daring. "Okay, let's try one!"

They flipped through the book for a few minutes until Amaya found a spell that stood out. "This one!" she determined, grinning, as she pointed to a spell that had pictures of a grown man changing into a baby.

"What kind of spell is it?" asked Orihime.

"It's a de-aging spell," Amaya answered, studying it carefully. "_When used correctly this spell will enable the Mage to transform any adult, including animals, into an infant for a period of three days (unless a counter spell is used). The purpose of this spell is to slow down or stop an enemy without causing any lasting damage."_ Let's try it!"

"Are you sure it's safe?" Orihime asked apprehensively.

"It should be," Amaya said as she looked over the spell again. "It looks easy enough. I'll test it out on that rotten cat Duchess."

Hearing her name, the tortoise-shell cat wandered into the living room, looking curiously from Orihime to Amaya, and mewed softly. Amaya sent the cat an evil grin.

"Oh Duchess, come heeeere," she said in a dangerous singsong voice.

The cat narrowed her eyes suspiciously but went over and jumped up on the couch next to Orihime, curling up beside her and purring loudly when she was petted.

"The spell won't hurt her, will it?" Orihime asked, still hesitant.

"I doubt it, Mages are forbidden to use spells that cause harm," Amaya said, though she secretly hoped it _would_ hurt that stupid cat. "Just keep her there until I've gathered the energy I need. It should only take a minute..."

Meanwhile in the skies above Amaya's Uncle's mansion, a Garganta opened and an exasperated Grimmjow stepped out. He was supposed to have checked in with Ichigo and Renji an hour ago to discuss Hollow management but he'd been chasing the annoying brat Nel Tu after she'd poked him one too many times while playing her new game, "Poke the Kitty". The little monster was fast for her size and Grimmjow had eventually given up the chase when he'd realised how much time he'd wasted. Now he was probably in for a lecture from Ichigo about punctuality.

"Great, just what I need," he muttered angrily as he made to head towards Urahara's shop, but paused when he sensed a spike of Spiritual Pressure. Where had that come from? A Hollow? No, it didn't feel like a Hollow. "Wait a second, I know this Spiritual Pressure," he thought out loud. "It's that Quincy kid's girlfriend. What the hell is_ she_ up to?"

Feeling the Spiritual Pressure spike again Grimmjow's curiosity got the better of him and he headed towards the mansion to investigate.

"Okay, I think I've got it now," Amaya said as she held a glowing ball of Spirit Energy in her hand. "Better move over, Orihime, just in case."

The girl nodded and moved away from the couch. The cat looked up at the loss of petting and froze when her eyes landed on her master's niece.

"Now, hold still Furball while I do this," Amaya smirked evilly and began to chant, "Fill ar ais arís le do óige, bí arís naín, an clog aisiompú mé, agus dul ar ais do lámha ama."

Just as the spell was about to come to completion and the flow of power peaked, Grimmjow suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, what the hell are you doi-"

Both girls screamed with fright and Amaya released the spell before she could stop it. There was a huge flash of light and a huge cracking sound like a whip before everything went quiet again. The silence that followed was deafening as Amaya and Orihime stood in the middle of the room in shock.

"What just happened?" asked Orihime, trembling with fright.

"I dunno," Amaya answered shakily. "Did the spell work? Where's that stupid cat?"

It didn't take long for them to find said feline cowering under the couch, shaking like a leaf and still fully grown.

"She's still an adult," Orihime remarked. "The spell didn't work."

"I guess not," Amaya agreed, sounding relieved. "Uncle would never forgive me if anything happened to her. I was doing just fine until Grimmjow... wait a minute. Where _is_ Grimmjow?"

Both girls jumped when they heard an odd, mewling squawk emit from the doorway. Where Grimmjow had been standing was a pile of clothes that he'd been wearing. Amaya and Orihime exchanged a fearful glance.

"You don't think...?" Amaya couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

They both rushed over to the pile of clothes and hesitated before grabbing the hem and lifting it up. Instead of Grimmjow, there was a little white ball of fur with four black paws and a little tuft of sky blue hair. The thing uncurled itself to reveal a tiny, fluffy and adorable panther cub with cyan eyes.

"Is... is that _Grimmjow_?" Orihime asked in disbelief.

"Merow!" said the cub, sending them a glare that was frighteningly familiar.

Amaya's eyes widened and a hand flew to her mouth. "Oh shit!"

TBC

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	2. Chapter 2

Summary: Grimmjow makes the mistake of distracting Amaya while she's practising a spell and is turned into a panther cub as a result. The problem? Amaya doesn't know how to change him back! Hilarity ensues. Written for writer's block. Rated for language. Slight OOC

Pairings: OC/Uryuu, Ichi/Hime, Ren/Ruki

~Cub talk~

"Talking"

Chapter 2

_Previously..._

_They both rushed over to the pile of clothes and hesitated before grabbing the hem and lifting it up. Instead of Grimmjow, there was a little white ball of fur with four black paws and a little tuft of sky blue hair. The thing uncurled itself to reveal a tiny, fluffy and adorable panther cub with cyan eyes._

"_Is... is that Grimmjow?" Orihime asked in disbelief._

"_Merow!" said the cub, sending them a glare that was frighteningly familiar._

_Amaya's eyes widened and a hand flew to her mouth. "Oh shit!"_

Grimmjow blinked dazedly as he sat up, cursing under his breath when a wave of dizziness washed over him. ~Dammit! What the hell was that? ~ he wondered. ~Damn, I don't feel so good...~ Looking up, he found Amaya and Orihime peering down at him, both wide-eyed and pale-faced. What the hell was _their_ problem?

"Is... is that _Grimmjow_?" the redhead asked.

The former Espada glared at her. ~What're you talking about, Woman? Of _course_ it's me! ~

Amaya's hand flew to her mouth as though she were about to be sick. "Oh shit!" she cursed.

Grimmjow recoiled in disgust. ~Hey! If you're gonna puke turn the other way! Wait a second... what's going on here? When did you two get so damned big? ~

Suddenly Orihime scooped him up and cuddled him to her chest. "Aww, he's so CUTE!"

~Hey what the... Put me down! I can't BREATHE! ~

"Wait! Orihime, don't smother him!" Amaya cried in alarm.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" Orihime held the cub at arm's length. "Are you okay, Grimmjow?"

~Am I okay? Do I LOOK okay to you? You nearly suffocated me, Woman! ~

"Uh oh, I think we made him angry," Amaya said fearfully.

Grimmjow glared at her. ~ Ya THINK? Will SOMEBODY tell me what the hell's going on here? Hold on, why am I so far off the ground? ~

"I don't think he realises what's happened, Amaya," Orihime pointed out.

"Good!" Amaya shouted as she rushed over to the pile of books. "Keep it that way until I can fix him!"

Grimmjow blanched. ~ Fix me? What the hell are you talkin' about? You better not mean what I think you mean! ~

He tried to wriggle out of Orihime's grasp but found that most of his strength was gone. In fact, he almost no strength at all. Even his Spiritual Pressure was extremely low. Orihime cuddled him again (more gently this time) and stroked the tuft of blue hair on his head.

"Aww, its okay Grimmjow, don't be scared," she cooed.

Grimmjow looked as though he'd just bitten into a particularly sour lemon. ~ Why the hell are you talking to me like that? I'm not a damned baby, you kn- ~

But then Orihime turned slightly and Grimmjow caught sight of himself in a mirror that was hanging over the fireplace. He looked almost like his released form, only he was...tiny... and fluffy... and he looked more like a...

~ WHAT THE HELL? ~ he yowled as he tried to jump out of Orihime's arms but ended up falling on the floor instead (he wasn't hurt because the carpet was thick and soft). He lifted a hand to his face but instead of a hand was a little black paw. He tried to stand up but stumbled sideways and fell over. ~Wha... What the hell did you do to me? I'm... I'm a fucking KITTEN! ~

"Oh no, Grimmjow!" Orihime moved to pick him up again but he stumbled out of her reach.

"Crap, he figured it out!" Amaya cursed, flipping desperately through the pages of the book. "Dammit! I can't find the counter spell!"

"What? You mean you can't change him back?" Orihime panicked.

"Without a counter spell, I don't know how!"

Grimmjow turned a venomous glance at her. ~ YOU did this to me? Why you little... ~

He waddled over to where she was knelt on the floor and savagely sank his teeth into her leg. Amaya didn't even blink. "Uh Grimmjow, that does _not_ hurt," she deadpanned.

~ What? ~ Grimmjow tried to snarl but all that came out was a little squeak that made both girls laugh. ~ Hey, what's so funny? ~ He went to bite Amaya again but found himself picked up by the scruff of his neck and held up so that he was face to face with her. He tried to struggle but all he could do was curl up into a little ball. Amaya gently forced his mouth open and carefully felt around his gums with her finger.

"He's only just got milk teeth," she frowned. "That means I've de-aged him to about four to six weeks old."

"What can we do? We can't leave him like this," Orihime said.

"But I can't change him back either," Amaya reminded her. "If I try to reverse the spell without the right incantation I could make his condition worse."

Grimmjow glowered at her. ~ You'd better not make it worse! ~

"Can you ask your Grandmother? She'll know what to do, won't she?"

Amaya visibly paled. "If I ask Grandma for help she'll know that I took these books without permission."

Orihime frowned. "But you said-,"

"I lied," Amaya huffed, putting Grimmjow down and putting her head in her hands. "Grandma was always telling me never to read these books until I had enough experience to learn the spells, but I got impatient and took them the first chance I got. If she finds out what I've done she'll be really angry."

~ Humph, it'd serve you right! ~ Grimmjow sniffed as he scratched behind his ear with his back paw like a dog.

"Aww, he's just like a puppy!" Orihime gushed. "He's so CUTE!"

~ Woman, if you call me 'cute' one more time...~

Just then the doorbell rang again making all three of them jump.

"Crap that must be Rukia!" Amaya panicked as she got up off the floor. "Oh gods, she'll have a heart attack when she sees Grimmjow like this!"

"Calm down Amaya, it'll be fine," Orihime soothed. "If we just let her in and explain what happened she might be able to figure out a way to change him back."

"Hello! Anybody home?" Rukia called, knocking on the door.

"I'll get it, you wait here," Orihime ordered gently as she left the room.

Amaya sighed and sank down onto the couch as she heard the front door open and Rukia and Orihime greeted each other. How on earth was she going to explain this to Rukia? Hell, how would she explain this to the Soul Society if they found out? Grimmjow was considered a valuable ally and if they lost him because of her... she didn't even want to think about that and glanced down at Grimmjow who was sitting on the floor smirking at her.

"What're you lookin' at, Fuzzbutt?" she glared at him. "You better watch yourself or I'll turn you into a pair of slippers!"

The cub's smirk just widened. ~ You're SO in for it, now! ~

"So what'd you wanna show me, Orihime?" asked Rukia as the two entered the room. "Is Amaya making the carpet change colo-?" She stopped in mid-sentence when she caught sight of Grimmjow and her mouth fell open. "What the... is that _Grimmjow_?"

Amaya chewed her bottom lip. "Well, um, yes," she stuttered nervously. "Y-you see I was kinda messing around with a spell I'm not supposed to know yet and-"

But she didn't get to finish explaining because Rukia let out an excited shriek and scooped Grimmjow up off the floor, cradling him like a baby. "Oooh he's sooo adorable!" she squealed, cuddling the ball of fur. "Awww, aren't you just the cutest little kitty ever! He's all soft and fuzzy like Chappy!"

Grimmjow looked like he might blow a fuse. ~ Dammit Woman, stop calling me CUTE! ~ he yowled, trying to get away from her. ~PUT. ME. DOWN. NOW! ~

"Careful Rukia, don't squeeze him too hard!" Amaya warned.

Once Rukia had composed herself somewhat she set a cranky Grimmjow down on the couch and ruffled his hair. Grimmjow growled under his breath but couldn't be bothered to try and bat her hand away.

"So what happened here, Amaya? How did Grimmjow get like this?" Rukia asked, her tone serious.

"It was an accident, I swear," Amaya pleaded. "I was showing Orihime a spell that I've never used before and I was trying it out on the cat but Grimmjow got in the way and I hit him with the spell instead."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that," Rukia shrugged, making Grimmjow scowl. "You can undo the spell, can't you?"

"Well, see that's the problem," Amaya bit her lip. "I haven't been able to find a counter spell and without a specific reversal incantation I can't change him back."

"What about your Grandmother?" Rukia suggested.

"That's another problem. Grandma told me not to touch these books and I disobeyed her," Amaya explained, hanging her head in shame. "If she ever knew that I took them and used a spell from them before I was ready she'd never forgive me."

"I see," Rukia scratched her chin in thought. "Well, this is beyond everything I know about kido and I'm afraid I don't know much about Mage lore."

"What about Urahara? Would he know?" asked Orihime.

"He knows more than I do about this sort of thing, so maybe taking Grimmjow to him will be our best bet," Rukia nodded.

~About time you came up with a plan! ~ Grimmjow tried to growl but only managed a birdlike squawk that made the girls burst out laughing. Grimmjow flattened his ears against his head in annoyance. ~ As soon as I have hands again I'm gonna strangle all three of you! ~

"Okay, so how do we get to him to Urahara's shop? Carry him?" asked Orihime.

~ Like hell I'll let you carry me! I'm walkin'! ~

"That's not a good idea, Orihime. If anyone sees us carrying him they'll think we stole him from the zoo or something," Rukia pointed out.

"We've got a cat-basket for when we take Duchess to the vet, what about that?" suggested Amaya. "It's wickerwork and has a lid with a latch on it so nobody will be able to see inside."

~ Oh HELL no! ~

"Yes, that'll work!"

When Amaya fetched the basket Grimmjow flattened his ears again and the fur on his back stood on end. ~ You put me in that thing Woman and I'll use Pantera to slice you to ribbons! ~

"Okay Grimmjow, come here," Amaya coaxed gently.

Grimmjow hissed. ~Screw you! I'm outta here! ~ He made to jump off the couch but didn't get very far because his little claws got stuck in the fabric. Amaya once again grasped him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him easily into the basket and shut the lid before Grimmjow could escape. Furious, Grimmjow hissed and spat and clawed at the inside of the basket.

"He doesn't sound too happy, does he?" Orihime said worriedly.

"It doesn't matter, it's only for a few minutes," Rukia shrugged. "He'll get over it."

~ LIKE HELL I WILL! ~

"Hiroto's already brought the car around," Amaya jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "He'll have us there in ten minutes."

It wasn't until about halfway through the car ride that Grimmjow finally gave up on trying to claw his way out of the basket and sulked. He was NOT some pet, dammit! And the basket was full of cat hair and smelled awful. Amaya was SO gonna get it when he was changed back!

"Here we are, Miss," Hiroto said from the driver's seat, making Grimmjow's ears perk up. "Would you like me to wait for you?"

"No thanks, Hiroto, I can get home myself," Amaya said as she and her friends got out of the car. "Tell Uncle not to wait up for me!"

The man nodded and waved to her as he drove away. When they turned around Ichigo was sitting on the front porch of the shop with Renji. On seeing Orihime Ichigo's face broke into a wide grin as he stood up to greet her.

"Hey! Orihime!"

Grimmjow felt his blood run cold as he recognised the voice. ~Kurosaki's here? Damn it, I forgot all about the meeting! ~

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried out happily as she glomped her boyfriend.

The Substitute Soul Reaper let out an "Oomph!" and nearly fell over as he suddenly found himself with an armful of his princess but chuckled and hugged her. Ever since the two had (finally!) gotten together it seemed that even a few minutes apart was too much for them.

"Get a room, you two!" Renji teased.

"Oh, stop it!" Rukia scolded, giving him a playful shove.

"What're you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked once he got his breath back. "I thought you were hanging out at Amaya's place today?"

"Well, we were," Orihime started nervously. "But, uh, we have a bit of a problem and we need Mr Urahara's help."

"_You've_ got a problem? So do we!" said Renji, huffing in exasperation. "Grimmjow was supposed to be here for the meeting and he hasn't shown up yet! He's over an hour late!"

The girls exchanged an uncomfortable glance and Amaya shifted from one foot to the other. "That's probably my fault..." she looked at the ground sheepishly.

"What? Why would it be your fault?" asked Ichigo, and then he noticed the basket she was carrying. "What's that?"

Grimmjow began to claw at the inside of the basket again with renewed force. ~ If Kurosaki sees me like this I'll _never_ live it down! ~

"What the... what've you got in there? A tiger?" Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow.

"Well, not exactly," Rukia answered. "It's what we need to see Urahara about. It's rather urgent."

"Did someone mention my name?" asked the aforementioned blonde as he stepped out onto the porch. "Amaya! So good to see you! What brings you to my humble store?"

"I'm sorry to barge in when you're busy Mr Urahara, but I'm in a real mess and I need your help," Amaya explained as she tried to keep her grip on the basket. "Can we talk inside?"

"Of course! Come on in!" Kisuke waved her inside with the fan he always carried. "Oh and by the way, Uryuu's here too, so you guys can catch up while you're here!"

Amaya flushed with embarrassment as Orihime and Rukia giggled.

"Hold on, aren't you gonna show us what's in the basket?" Renji asked as the basket emitted a loud hiss. "Whatever's inside sounds dangerous!"

"Oh he's not really, but I don't think he'd like it if I took the lid off," Amaya said evasively. "He, uh, doesn't like strangers."

A snarl came from the basket this time that made Renji reach for Zabimaru and Ichigo take a step back. Even Urahara began to look apprehensive.

"Amaya are you sure that whatever's in there isn't dangerous?" he asked carefully. "Because I don't want a massacre on my hands..."

Before Amaya could answer the basket suddenly fell apart under the onslaught of teeth and claws and Grimmjow tumbled out onto the porch, snarling and hissing. Everyone jumped back in astonishment as the feisty little critter shook itself and sat down, panting.

~ Finally! I'm outta that stupid basket! ~ Grimmjow yowled triumphantly. ~ Damn, I nearly suffocated in there! ~

Renji jumped up as though he'd been jabbed with a fork. "What the... what the hell is _that_?"

Just then Uryuu came up behind Urahara, drawn by the racket. "What's all the noise out here? I thought we- whoa!"

Grimmjow froze and looked around at the all startled faces staring at him and realised his mistake much too late. His eyes fell on Ichigo who's jaw looked like it was about the hit the floor and he cringed.

"That Spiritual Pressure..." the redhead muttered. "Is that... is that who I think it is?"

Amaya smacked her forehead and groaned. "Yes! Alright, I confess! I accidentally turned Grimmjow into a panther cub! I took spell books that I wasn't allowed to touch and used a spell that I'm not ready for and I don't know how to reverse it! That's what I had to come here for!"

There was silence for all of three seconds before Renji and Ichigo suddenly burst into fits of hysterical laughter.

"Are you serious?_ That's_ Grimmjow? He looks like a regular cat!" Ichigo laughed, leaning over Grimmjow with his hands on his knees.

"Aww isn't he cute!" Renji teased, ruffling the blue hair on the cub's head. "Hey Ichigo, let's grab a ball of yarn and see what he does with it!"

Grimmjow was seething. He flattened his ears back and growled lowly. ~ You guys are SO gonna regret this! When I'm done with you there won't be enough left to put in a matchbox! ~

With that, Grimmjow yanked his head back and leapt at Renji.

CRUNCH!

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	3. Chapter 3

Summary: Grimmjow makes the mistake of distracting Amaya while she's practising a spell and is turned into a panther cub as a result. The problem? Amaya doesn't know how to change him back! Hilarity ensues. Written for writer's block. Rated for language. Slight OOC

Pairings: OC/Uryuu, Ichi/Hime, Ren/Ruki

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS FLUFF!

Chapter 3

_Previously..._

"_Aww isn't he cute!" Renji teased, ruffling the blue hair on the cub's head. "Hey Ichigo, let's grab a ball of yarn and see what he does with it!"_

_Grimmjow was seething. He flattened his ears back and growled lowly. ~ You guys are SO gonna regret this! When I'm done with you there won't be enough left to put in a matchbox! ~_

_With that, Grimmjow yanked his head back and leapt at Renji._

_CRUNCH!_

Renji howled with pain as Grimmjow attached himself to his hand with sharp little teeth and refused to let go.

"DAMMIT! YOU LITTLE BASTARD! GET OFF ME!" Renji yelled as he tried to free his hand.

"Grimmjow, no!" cried Orihime as she made a grab for the angry cub, but Ichigo held her back.

"Everyone stay back!" he ordered and reached for Grimmjow.

"Uh, Ichigo I wouldn't do that..." Amaya tried to warn him, but it was too late. Grimmjow saw the orange-head coming from the corner of his eye and released Renji to latch onto Ichigo's leg, sinking his claws in for good measure.

~ Take that, Kurosaki! ~

"Dammit Grimmjow, get the hell off me!" Ichigo reached down and tried to detach the cub, but Grimmjow held on and dug his claws in deeper.

"Oh brother!" Deciding to act before the situation could get worse Amaya marched over to Ichigo and batted his hands away with a sharp slap and seized Grimmjow by the scruff of his neck. Grimmjow immediately released his hold and curled up into a little ball as Amaya lifted him up and lightly bopped him on the nose. "Bad, Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow squawked and shook his head. ~ Ow! Hey! What was that for? ~

Ichigo blinked in surprise. "How the hell did you..."

"Honestly Ichigo, I grew up in a veterinary hospital, do you think I don't know how to handle an animal?" Amaya asked. "But if you or Renji tease Grimmjow again I'm not gonna save you, ya got that?"

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down," Kisuke waved his fan for quiet. "Let's continue this inside, shall we? I'm sure everyone wants to know what's going on here."

A few minutes later everyone was sitting on the floor in Kisuke's living room. Renji and Ichigo had their wounds bandaged and kept sending Grimmjow hateful glances while Grimmjow smirked at them from here he was perched out their reach in Amaya's lap. He wasn't at all pleased with the seating arrangement but getting to see the two Soul Reapers in discomfort from the injuries he'd inflicted was very satisfying. As an added bonus Uryuu, who was sitting next to Amaya, kept glaring at him from the corner of his eye, making Grimmjow smirk like the Cheshire Cat.

~Heh, heh, jealous much? ~

"Okay, so let me see if I understand this right," Kisuke started slowly. "You tried to use a de-aging spell on your Uncle's cat, but Grimmjow turned up and distracted you and ended up getting hit with the spell instead. You can't undo the spell because you can't find the right counter-spell and don't know any other way to undo it, correct?"

"That's pretty much it," Amaya nodded. "And I can't ask Grandma for help because I wasn't even supposed to be using that spell in the first place. If she knew I'd disobeyed her she'd be so angry."

"Alight then, and this is the spell you used?" Kisuke asked as he read over the spell once more and Amaya nodded again. "Well, it says that it only lasts three days, but that's not the real problem here. The Purifying Spell you use on Hollows is only one of a small few in a Mage's arsenal that can be used against a Spiritual Being effectively. This de-aging spell was never meant to be used on Spiritual Beings. While it did work in de-aging Grimmjow there's no way of knowing what the long-term effects will be or when the spell will wear off. Since I'm not a Mage like you, I'm not able to reverse the spell."

"So, is Grimmjow gonna be stuck like this forever?" asked Chad.

Grimmjow huffed. ~Crap! ~

Amaya put her head in her hands. "I'm screwed," she muttered. "Grandma's gonna kill me."

"Hold on a second, I didn't say it was _all_ bad news," Kisuke said as Uryuu put an arm around Amaya's shoulders to comfort her. "The spell in question was never made to be permanent, either. With the information we have, we know the spell _will_ wear off, we just don't know when. It could wear off in three days like it's supposed to, or it could wear off sooner than that."

"Wait on, what do you mean it could wear off sooner?" asked Ichigo as he scratched at the bandage on his leg.

"Well look at it this way," Kisuke started. "Mages spells are mostly used on living things, which normally have a low level of Spirit Energy, a level not strong enough to counter those spells naturally. But since Grimmjow is a Spirit Being with a high amount of Spiritual Pressure he'd be more capable of throwing off a spell not specifically formulated to be used against him or anyone of his kind."

"But his Spiritual Pressure is weak right now," Renji pointed out. "In fact I can barely feel it at all. How can he throw off the spell while he's like this?"

The corners of Kisuke's mouth turned up slightly. "That's where you guys come in," he said seriously. "With a bit of hard work on your part, we should be able to reverse the effects of the spell more quickly without having to resort to magic."

Uryuu frowned a little. "How do we do that?"

"As you all know, Hollows become more powerful by consuming souls with high Spirit Energy or by devouring other Hollows," Kisuke explained. "In order to get Grimmjow's Spiritual Pressure back to a level where it can throw off the spell, he has to be fed on pure Spirit Energy."

"But Grimmjow can't eat Hollows, he's way too small," Amaya said worriedly. "And he barely has teeth so how is he supposed to chew?"

~ That's what I'd like to know! ~ Grimmjow squawked, ignoring the giggles from the girls.

"Barely has teeth? That's bullshit!" Ichigo shouted indignantly. "He nearly ripped me and Renji to pieces!"

"That was his claws, you dummy," Amaya bit back, earning a smirk from Grimmjow. "And you both had it coming, anyway."

"What!" Renji and Ichigo shouted at the same time.

"What she means is that if you guys hadn't stood around teasing him then he wouldn't have used you as a scratching post," Rukia sent the two a glare.

"_Anyway_," Kisuke said loudly, effectively cutting off any retorts. "Since Grimmjow's too small and weak to hunt Hollows for Spirit Energy, we'll have to gather Spirit Energy ourselves and make it into a condensed formula that can be fed to him directly. Amaya, you're the only one in the room who can absorb Spirit Energy through physical contact, if you can absorb the Spirit Energy then I'll draw it out and can mix it with a special liquid that can be fed to Grimmjow."

"Hold on," Ichigo interrupted again. "Just _who's_ Spirit Energy are we using for this?"

"Well, we're gonna need a fair amount of it," Kisuke started carefully, going over things in his head. "With Grimmjow this small he's going to need to be fed at least 200ml of the formula every two hours in order to restore his Spiritual Pressure. And the stronger the Spirit Energy we can get, the better. Since you're the one with the strongest Spirit Energy, Ichigo..." he trailed off.

"No way!" Ichigo crossed his hands in front of his face. "There's no way in hell I'm giving my Spirit Energy to _him_!"

Grimmjow made a choking noise. ~ Screw you, Kurosaki! I'd rather wait three days than get help from _you_!~

"Regardless of whether or not we can undo the spell this way, Grimmjow still needs something to feed on," Kisuke pointed out. "Right now, what little is left of his Spiritual Pressure is going into keeping him alive. If we don't intervene his Spiritual Pressure will run too low and he could die before the spell wears off."

Amaya visibly paled, not realising until now just how serious the situation was. "Oh gods, I should _never_ have taken those stupid books... this is all my fault!"

Grimmjow let out an indignant squeak as Amaya abruptly stood up and sent him tumbling to the floor. Before anyone could call her back, Amaya fled from the room. Grimmjow guiltily hung his head, suddenly realising how bad she felt about the whole situation and wishing that he hadn't bitten her earlier.

"Kisuke! Did you have to be so blunt?" Uryuu demanded as he got to his feet. "Amaya's feeling bad enough as it is about what's happened and she didn't need you blurting that out!"

"I had to tell it like it is," Kisuke said simply. "Although I wasn't trying to make her feel worse. I said it so that Ichigo and Grimmjow would realise the seriousness of the situation and hopefully put aside their differences."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to feel guilty as everyone glanced at him. Suddenly he wished that he hadn't been so quick to refuse to help. "Alright, I'm sorry!" he shouted, annoyed. "I'll help Grimmjow, just stop looking at me like _I'm _the bad guy!"

"As far as I'm concerned, you _are_ the bad guy Kurosaki," Uryuu growled. "If you weren't so brash then Amaya wouldn't have gotten upset like this!"

And he stormed out of the room before Ichigo could say anything else, leaving the orange-head to open and close his mouth like a goldfish.

"Wow, since when is Uryuu so protective?" asked Renji.

Orihime and Rukia exchanged a knowing glance and sighed. "It's love," they said at the same time.

Ichigo and Renji groaned and face-palmed while Kisuke chuckled.

"What is it with those girls and romance?" Ichigo asked no one in particular and Renji shrugged.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. ~Damned kids...~

Meanwhile, Uryuu found Amaya sitting on the front porch, leaning against one of the posts with her knees drawn up and crying softly. Sighing, he went over and sat next to her, making sure his footsteps alerted her to his approach.

"Hey," he said softly as he gently brushed a strand of violet hair away from her face. "Are you alright?"

Amaya sniffled and lifted her head a little. "I used a spell that I wasn't supposed to use, I disobeyed Grandma, I've disgraced myself and now Grimmjow could die because of me."

"Grimmjow's _not_ going to die, Amaya," Uryuu told her firmly. "And you can't blame yourself for what happened. Like you said, it was an accident."

"But I shouldn't have been messing around with those books," Amaya turned red, puffy eyes to him. "Grandma told me never to touch them and I did it anyway. If I'd done what I was told then none of this would've happened."

"Amaya, listen to me," Uryuu ordered gently and dried her tears with the pad of his thumb. "Kisuke knows a way to counter the spell without having to use magic. What he said in there before? That was so Ichigo would quit being such a dumbass and realise how serious things are. He wasn't trying to put any of the blame on you."

Amaya sniffled again, glancing at the floor. "But it's still..."

Uryuu gently silenced her by pressing his finger to her lips. "No more blaming yourself," he chided lightly. "Let's go back inside and sort this out, okay? Everything's going to be alright."

She hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding and allowing him to pull her into a hug. As she settled against his chest he kissed the top of her head, smelling a mixture of her green-apple scented shampoo and fresh hay from the stables.

"You know I love you, right Uryuu?" Amaya murmured from where she had her face buried in his neck.

The Quincy smiled and pulled her into his lap so he could hold her closer. "I love you too, Amaya."

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TBC 


End file.
